BEDC ENTREPRENEUR TRAINING GRADUATES TO SELL
GIFT ITEMS AND SERVICES AT ST. PATRICK’S DAY BAZAAR

BROOKLYN, NY, March 1, 2004— More than two dozen graduates of entrepreneur training programs offered by Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) will be selling unique gift items and services produced by their small businesses at BEDC’s St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar. The indoor market will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, March 17 at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Ground Floor, between Court and Clinton, downtown Brooklyn, one block from Borough Hall.

Handcrafted jewelry, one of a kind bags and accessories, hand sewn clothing, natural oils, perfumes, and lotions, and CDs will be among the items for sale. Container and terrace gardening and carpentry services and many other goods and services also will be offered. In addition, businesses and government agencies that cater to small business owners will be on hand to provide information about the services they offer entrepreneurs.

“BEDC is very excited to be sponsoring the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar because all the services and gift items on sale have been produced by entrepreneurs who graduated from our training programs and are starting or already running their own businesses,” said Joan Bartolomeo, BEDC president. “We see this retail marketplace as an extension of the participants’ entrepreneur training because we’re giving them the opportunity to learn first hand how to market, present, and sell their products and services directly to consumers.”

Elaine Wilshire, owner of Elan-Sa International Handbags, which produces one of a kind, wearable art handbags, handmade pillows, and hand sewn eyeglass cases, is one of the entrepreneurs who will be selling her products at the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar. “I’m participating to see if there is a market for my work, see what products will sell, gain exposure for my business, network with other entrepreneurs and organizations, and sell my products to the public,” Ms. Wilshire said.

BEDC has helped participants by securing space at St. Francis College where the entrepreneurs will set up tables featuring their products, and by marketing the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar to the community. To encourage consumers to stop by and shop, BEDC has produced postcards that it has mailed to its contact list and that participants have distributed to their contacts. BEDC also has produced posters that will be placed in windows in the downtown Brooklyn business district, placed advertisements in local papers, and will distribute fliers about the bazaar to pedestrians in downtown Brooklyn the day of the event.

More information about BEDC’s St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar is available from Marjorie Schulman at 718-522-4600, ext. 25, or mschulman@bedc.org.

BEDC, a private, nonprofit organization, was established in 1979 to stimulate Brooklyn’s economy and create job opportunities for the borough and its residents. BEDC has evolved into a multi-service, business-consulting agency, serving more than 1,000 clients annually and offering comprehensive economic development services. More information is available at www.bedc.org.